Sunday, February 27, 2011

I’d like to apologize for the state of this blog. This was never the blog I intended to write. This blog started out with my ideals and ideas, but over the past several months, it has deteriorated into a center for ridicule. I’m disappointed in myself.

I have also noticed that a prominent Philadelphia education blog removed me from its blogroll. It could have been a mistake. But I think it is more likely that they felt I was no longer writing anything of substance.

As a result, I am going to close my blog until the end of the school year.

My school has gone through many changes over the past year. The lack of stability has been very difficult for me. I am losing my energy, and fast. I wake up feeling sapped, and I crave sleep by the end of the school day. I no longer smile and skip through the hallway. I’m less creative, less humorous, less engaging, and less loving to my students. I honestly think I was a better teacher at this time last year.

And the little thing that has been nagging me since the fall is becoming a bigger thing: Maybe I’m not cut out for urban teaching. Or urban public school teaching. Maybe. Maybe not.

I plan revive this blog over the summer, when I have more time to write about serious issues in education. But I don’t want to feed negativity to my friends and supporters. My priority is the education of my students. For the rest of this year, I will make a larger effort to reclaim the energy and love for teaching that I know is latent within me. I’ll be back in a few months.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

I'm sorry for the lack of posts lately. We had off yesterday for Presidents' Day, and today was our fourth snow day!! There wasn't really that much snow on the ground, but it was very nice to have a four-day weekend. Hopefully, we won't pay for this relaxation in June...

Saturday, February 19, 2011

In an effort to make my students more literate in professional technologies (since they have already mastered Facebook and texting), I am now requiring them to submit their projects to me on Google Docs.

Asking my students to "explore" Google Docs or "play around" with it was definitely not going to work, so I created an assignment. Students each had to follow my step-by-step instructions to create a Google Doc Presentation about something they love:

9. On your new presentation, make your title “Why I Love _____” (Put something you love in the blank.)
10. Make your subtitle “by [Your Name]”.
11. Click on “Slide” on the blue bar at the top. Click on “New Slide”.
12. Choose the slide you want, and add some text.

The submissions were fantastic! I received presentations entitled "Why I Love Money", "Why I Love Air-Brushed Cars", "Why I Love Cheese_Stakes", "y=mx+b", and "Why I Love Girls So Much". (This last presentation was Super Student's, obviously.)

The best presentation was entitled "Why I Love Tacos <3".

Adorable Terror wrote,

This is why i love tacos! First because they are so juicy and good! Second because when you get them with extra beef and cheese they really hit the spot! Last because i love soft tacos from taco bell they are so delicious and tasty, as a matter fact i want some after school! You can get tacos from taco bell! Also from mexican restarants in downtown! I have a serious obssesion with tacos from taco bell! I just love tacos! <3 I can talk about tacos for days but im gonna stop right here. :)